This is the description written by frozboz - the original hider for GC1KA02 Church (not a) Micro 417: Theydon Garnon.
When I set this cache the church wasn’t open, but I called the number listed in the porch and the lady kindly came and opened the church up for me. It was decked out for Christmas and was very pretty. There is a nice historical guide to the church and a facsimile of a Charter dated 1305 sealed with the great seal of Edward the First in which he granted to Hugh Gernoun “and his heirs for ever” various privileges included the right to have a market every week on Thursday “at his manor of Theydon Gernoun in the County of Essex.” The original is now held in the Essex Records office in Chelmsford . Amazingly, the charter was (re)discovered by a firm of London Chartered Accountents when they opened an ancient chest in their offices in 1979.
The church of All Saints consists of nave and chancel, north aisle, north porch, south porch, north vestry, and west tower. The walls of nave and chancel are of flint rubble and those of the tower, aisle, and north porch are of brick. The chancel probably dates from the 13th century. The nave appears to have been rebuilt in the 15th century. The tower was built about 1520. In 1644 the north aisle and north porch were added and a north arcade of timber built. The south porch was built in the 18th century, and in the 19th century there were numerous alterations including the addition of a north vestry and organ chamber. The church is of special interest from its dated tower of 1520 and dated north aisle of 1644.
The chancel, which was probably built in the 13th century, has in its south wall a 13th century lancet window, and on the north side a niche of uncertain date. There is no structural division between chancel and nave.
About 1520 the west tower was added. It is of red brick, with some blue brick, of three stages with an embattled parapet. The date is recorded on a stone panel on the outside of the south wall, where it is stated that Sir John Crosbe, late alderman and grocer of London, and his wives Anne and Annes gave £50 towards the building of the tower. A portion of this inscription has been cut out and it is believed that this happened during Puritain times.
Note on the south east buttress of the tower is a scratch dial and above it a larger sundial.
During the 17th century several other new windows were added. In the chancel are two windows, one on the north wall and one on the south, both having two pointed lights, and the west window of the tower is also probably of the same century.
The communion rails were set up in 1683-4 at a cost of £4, in obedience to the orders of the archdeacon at his visitation of 1683. There is still an annual visit by the Archdeacon to ensure that all is in order with the Church. In the vestry is a large oak chest with iron bands given in 1668 by Sir John Archer. In it are some manorial records. At the west end of the nave is an oak door-frame taken from the Priest's House.
There are five bells. The first four were cast by Miles Graye in 1628 and the fifth by Robert Phelps in 1732. In 1733 the parish vestry agreed to borrow £22 at 5 per cent. interest to pay for the casting and hanging of this last bell.
On the north wall of the chancel is a brass to William Kirkeby, rector, 1458 with a figure of a priest in cope with shield of arms. This was formerly in the nave and was set up in its present position with a modern inscription between 1812 and 1835. In the chancel are a brass to Ellen (Hampden), wife of John Branch, 1567, and monuments to Lady Anne (Sidney ), wife of Sir William Fitzwilliam, 1602; Sir Daniel Dun, 1617 and his wife Joan, 1640; James Meggs, rector, 1672; Sir John Archer, 1681; and Sir William Eyre Archer, 1739. The last is a large standing wall monument with grey sarcophagus and obelisk and medallion of the deceased flanked by three cherubs. Set into the north wall of the chancel is a grey marble altar-tomb with a flat-arched canopy resting on small side-shafts and having a frieze of quatrefoil panels. At the back of the recess is a brass of a kneeling man in armour, his wife, two sons, and three daughters, with indents of two inscription plates, two shields, a Trinity and another group, of about 1520. Opposite is another similar altar-tomb of slightly later date with the canopy set on twisted shafts, also with indents for brasses at the back of the recess. There are floor slabs in the chancel to Henry and Thomas Meggs, 1670, Margaret wife of James Meggs, 1681, and Richard Butler, 1688.
In the nave is a wall monument to Denton Nicholas, M.D., 1714, moved there from the chancel in 1934. There is a floor slab in the nave to Jane, widow of John Wormlayton, 1725, and their daughters Jane, 1705, and Anne, 1712. Other later monuments include plaques to Charles B. Abdy, 1843, Joseph Kemsley, churchwarden, 1897, and William S. ChisenhaleMarsh, 1929. There is a stained-glass window in memory of the Revd. Sir Cavendish Foster, Bt.
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